Miniconda gives you Python and the conda package manager without the bulk of the full Anaconda distribution. The installer is around 100 MB compared to 3+ GB for Anaconda, which matters on remote servers and older laptops. This guide walks through how to install Miniconda on Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus the basic configuration steps to get a working environment.
What You Need Before You Install Miniconda
Miniconda runs on 64-bit Windows, macOS, and most Linux distributions. The installer needs roughly 400 MB of free disk space once everything unpacks. You don’t need admin rights if you pick a user-writable location like your home folder.
Pick the right architecture for your machine. Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4) need the ARM64 build. Intel Macs use x86_64. Most Windows PCs use x86_64, though ARM-based Surface devices need the ARM64 installer. Linux servers commonly run x86_64, but Raspberry Pi and AWS Graviton instances need ARM64.
How to Install Miniconda on Windows
Head to the official Miniconda page on anaconda.com and download the Windows 64-bit installer. The file is named Miniconda3-latest-Windows-x86_64.exe and lands in your Downloads folder.
Double-click the .exe to start the wizard. Accept the license, then pick “Just Me” when asked who to install for. This avoids needing admin rights and keeps things simple if multiple people share the machine.
Leave the install location at the default (something like C:\Users\YourName\miniconda3). Spaces in the path can break conda later, so avoid moving it to a folder with spaces. On the Advanced Options screen, leave “Register Miniconda3 as my default Python” checked. Skip the “Add to PATH” option unless you have a specific reason — conda’s own Anaconda Prompt handles activation cleanly without it.
Once the install finishes, open the Start menu and search for “Anaconda Prompt.” A terminal window opens with (base) shown at the start of the prompt. That confirms conda is active.
conda --version
conda infoPowerShell Install Without the GUI
If you’d rather skip the wizard, PowerShell handles the whole thing in three commands:
curl -o miniconda.exe https://repo.anaconda.com/miniconda/Miniconda3-latest-Windows-x86_64.exe
start /wait "" miniconda.exe /InstallationType=JustMe /RegisterPython=0 /S /D=%UserProfile%\miniconda3
del miniconda.exeThe /S flag runs the installer silently. After it completes, restart your terminal and run conda init powershell to set up shell integration.
How to Install Miniconda on macOS
macOS users have two paths: the .pkg installer for a graphical setup, or the shell script for terminal control. The .pkg is faster if you just want it working.
Download the right file from the Miniconda page. For Apple Silicon, grab Miniconda3-latest-MacOSX-arm64.pkg. For older Intel Macs, use Miniconda3-latest-MacOSX-x86_64.pkg. Double-click the .pkg and follow the prompts.
The terminal install gives more control over where files land. Open Terminal and paste these lines:
mkdir -p ~/miniconda3
curl https://repo.anaconda.com/miniconda/Miniconda3-latest-MacOSX-arm64.sh -o ~/miniconda3/miniconda.sh
bash ~/miniconda3/miniconda.sh -b -u -p ~/miniconda3
rm ~/miniconda3/miniconda.shReplace arm64 with x86_64 if you’re on an Intel Mac. The -b flag skips license prompts. The -u flag updates an existing install if one already lives in that directory.
Now initialize conda for your shell. macOS uses zsh by default since Catalina:
~/miniconda3/bin/conda init zshClose Terminal and open a new window. The (base) prefix should appear before your prompt.
How to Install Miniconda on Linux
The Linux install uses a shell script. You can run the whole sequence in one block. This works on Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, CentOS, Arch, and most other distributions. If curl returns a command not found error, install it first with your package manager or use wget instead.
mkdir -p ~/miniconda3
wget https://repo.anaconda.com/miniconda/Miniconda3-latest-Linux-x86_64.sh -O ~/miniconda3/miniconda.sh
bash ~/miniconda3/miniconda.sh -b -u -p ~/miniconda3
rm ~/miniconda3/miniconda.shFor ARM64 hardware (Raspberry Pi 4/5, AWS Graviton, ARM-based VPS instances), swap the URL to Miniconda3-latest-Linux-aarch64.sh. The rest of the sequence stays the same.
Initialize the shell once the install finishes. If you use bash, run conda init bash. Zsh users on any distro should run conda init zsh instead. Restart the terminal or source your config file:
source ~/.bashrcVerify the install worked by checking the conda version and environment list. The output shows your active environment, conda version, and platform details.
conda --version
conda info --envsSilent Install for Servers
Automated deployments and CI pipelines need an unattended install. The -b flag handles that — it accepts the license automatically and skips every prompt. This pattern works well in Dockerfiles and shell scripts. If you build automation around this, the same permission and execution rules from running shell scripts in Linux apply to your wrapper script.
wget https://repo.anaconda.com/miniconda/Miniconda3-latest-Linux-x86_64.sh -O /tmp/miniconda.sh
bash /tmp/miniconda.sh -b -p $HOME/miniconda
$HOME/miniconda/bin/conda init bashVerify Your Miniconda Install
A working install responds to three checks. Run each one in a new terminal session after init:
conda --version
python --version
conda infoThe first prints something like conda 25.3.1. The second shows the Python bundled with the base environment, typically Python 3.12 or 3.13 in current Miniconda releases. The third dumps a long block with paths, channel URLs, and platform details. If any of these fail with command not found, your shell config didn’t pick up the conda init changes — close every terminal and open a fresh one.
Create Your First Conda Environment
Don’t install packages into the base environment. Make a new environment for each project. This keeps dependencies isolated and lets you delete everything cleanly if something breaks.
conda create -n myproject python=3.12
conda activate myproject
conda install numpy pandasThe -n flag names the environment. Once activated, the prompt prefix changes from (base) to (myproject). Anything you install with conda or pip on Linux goes into this environment only. To leave the environment, run conda deactivate.
List all environments with conda env list. Remove one with conda env remove -n myproject when you’re done.
Update or Uninstall Miniconda
Keep conda current with a single command. Run this from the base environment:
conda update condaTo remove Miniconda completely, delete the install folder and clean the shell config. On Linux and macOS:
rm -rf ~/miniconda3
conda init --reverse --allWindows users should uninstall through Settings > Apps, then delete any leftover folders in their user directory. Also check .condarc and .conda in your home folder and remove them if you want a clean slate.
FAQs
Do I need admin rights to install Miniconda?
No. Pick a user-writable location like your home folder during install. Admin rights are only needed if you install Miniconda system-wide for all users, which most people don’t need.
Can I have Miniconda and Anaconda on the same machine?
Technically yes, but it causes PATH conflicts and broken environments. Pick one. If you’re already running Anaconda and want lighter, uninstall Anaconda first, then install Miniconda fresh.
Why does conda command not found appear after install?
The shell hasn’t picked up the conda init changes yet. Close every open terminal window and open a new one. If the error persists, run source ~/.bashrc on Linux or source ~/.zshrc on macOS manually.
Which Python version comes with Miniconda?
Recent Miniconda installers ship with Python 3.12 or 3.13 in the base environment. You can check with python –version after activation. Each new environment can use any Python version conda supports.
Is Miniconda free for commercial use?
Miniconda itself is free, but the default Anaconda repository (repo.anaconda.com) requires a paid license for organizations with 200+ employees. Switch to conda-forge with conda config –add channels conda-forge to avoid that limit.
